


Fearsome Creatures

by SeekingIdlewild



Series: Tumblr Prompts [1]
Category: British Actor RPF, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Humor, M/M, tumblr prompt fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-30
Updated: 2013-03-30
Packaged: 2017-12-06 23:05:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/741207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeekingIdlewild/pseuds/SeekingIdlewild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom rescues Loki from a horrible beast... or something like that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fearsome Creatures

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Batsutousai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Batsutousai/gifts).



> This is a fill for the following Tumblr prompt from Batsutousai:
> 
> “PROMPT! (Now I have to think of one. Ah….) OOH! I want Tom protecting Loki. I don’t care how or why or what state Loki’s in that he needs a mortal to protect him, but I want it. ;)”
> 
> I decided to take this ficlet in a more humorous direction to avoid doing anything like I did in [Portrait of a God](http://archiveofourown.org/works/634029/chapters/1147319).

"Thomas!" Loki called from the living room.

Tom grunted and set down the script he had been reading.  He rubbed at his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall.  This was the third time Loki had called Tom's name within the past hour.  Loki knew perfectly well that Tom was busy working at his kitchen table, but naturally that fact was of little importance to him.  He disliked being ignored and never failed to make his presence felt during his visits to Tom's flat.  

This particular call sounded  a little different, however.  This time, Loki's tone was urgent rather than imperious.  Something had disturbed him.  He sounded almost alarmed.  And since it took a great deal to alarm an Asgardian,  it was probably worth investigating.

Tom entered his living room to find Loki standing in the center of the floor, his eyes fixed on something that was scuttling across the wall over the sofa.  "You need to leave, at once," Loki said without even looking in Tom's direction.  The god's face was just a touch paler than usual, and his brows were drawn together in a grim line.

Tom glanced from Loki to the wall, where his eight-legged guest had come to a stop.  It was certainly an impressive specimen, much larger than any he had previously found in his flat.  "You… want me to leave the flat because there's a spider on my wall?" Tom asked, bewildered.

"Where there is one, there could be hundreds.  There must me a nest concealed somewhere within this building," Loki was muttering.   "That means the mother could still be here too.  This one looks newly hatched, smaller than usual.  The others will be larger."

Tom watched Loki's serious expression for a moment, then he coughed abruptly to cover his overwhelming urge to laugh.  "Uh, right.  Just let me grab something before I go."  Not pausing to hear Loki's reply, Tom stepped into the kitchen to collect an empty drinking glass and a sheet of paper from the table.  Then he returned to the living room.

Tom swept past Loki, ignoring the god's protests.  With one swift, practiced movement he trapped the spider against the wall within the drinking glass.  Then he slid the sheet of paper between the rim of the glass and the wall, and carefully pulled it away, securing the piece of paper by laying his hand flat against it.  Within the glass, the spider scurried around  frantically. 

"Get the door for me, will you?" Tom asked Loki sweetly, nodding towards the French doors which led out to the balcony.

Loki was too busy looking in consternation from the spider to Tom and then back to the spider.  "It… it didn't hurt you," he stammered.

"Loki, it's a house spider.  A healthy fellow, sure, but just a house spider.  They're harmless to humans," Tom explained kindly.  "I take it that spiders are a little more dangerous in Asgard?"

Loki shook himself, regaining something of his usual aloofness.  "They are fearsome creatures, extremely venomous and very difficult to kill even when newly hatched.  The adults are much, _much_ larger than that," he said, nodding to the glass in Tom's hand.  He narrowed his eyes at the spider that was still trying to find some way to escape its prison.

"Loki," Tom said patiently.  "The door?  My hands are full here."

Loki crossed the room – giving Tom and the spider a subtle berth, Tom noticed with amusement – and opened one of the French doors.  Tom went out onto the balcony to free his uninvited houseguest.

"Well, that was exciting," Tom said cheerfully as he stepped back inside.

Loki just glowered at him.

"What?  I just rescued you from a terrifying monster," Tom teased.  "Don't I get any appreciation for my feat of bravery?  They'd be singing songs in my honor if we were in Asgard."

Loki was clearly not amused.  "You'd be dead if you encountered one of those creatures in Asgard," he growled.

Tom just shrugged and walked back toward the kitchen doorway.  "Be sure to let me know if you need me to slay any more beasts for you this evening.  You know, house flies, ants, beetles.  No need to fear; I'll protect you from them all."

With that, he hastily ducked into the kitchen to avoid retaliation from the irritated god.


End file.
